Maybe Someday: Zack and Maddie Stories
by lovinpeterpan
Summary: One shot collection of the cutest pair in Suite Life
1. Love, Interrupted

Maddie was in her usual spot at the counter when Zack and Cody entered the lobby coming from school.

Cody greeted her like the usual.

"Hey Maddie!" he said as he made his way to the elevator.

"Hey guys!" she greeted back.

Zack, on the other hand, barely nodded without smiling and quickly turned away. Maddie thought that was strange. Zack wasn't usually like that. He was always beaming when he sees her.

But that day, he was obviously different. Maddie didn't let this slide off.

"Hey, Zack, you okay?" she asked in a worried tone.

He slightly turned his head and replied, "yeah" without enthusiasm.

Although she only saw half of his face, she noticed a bruise on Zack's right eye. She got curious and walked towards him.

"Wait! Stay where you are!" she said when Zack was about to follow Cody in the elevator.

Zack let out a sigh. "What?"

Maddie walked towards him and lifted his chin. She was right, Zack had a big blue and black bruise on his right eye and on the corner of his mouth. He looked down, avoiding her gaze while she displayed a look of shock.

"What happened to your face?" she gasped.

"I… fell," he said with a blank expression.

Cody sighed and walked closer to them, letting the elevator doors close behind him. "He got into a fight with a senior at school. The guy thought Zack stole his girlfriend."

Zack gave Cody a deadly look. He obviously didn't want to reveal the real reason behind his bruises. Cody looked down, avoiding his brother's gaze.

Maddie shook her head, feeling angry and sad at the same time. She treated the twins like her siblings, and she reacted just like any other big sister would.

"I am going to tell this to your mom."

"NO!" Zack yelled angrily, making some guests turn their heads on him. He took a deep breath and calmed down. "Whatever happens, do not tell this to mom." He continued in a lower tone. "I don't wanna disappoint her anymore."

Maddie saw his point. She nodded.

"Okay. Let me clean up your wound before she sees you like this. She's not home right now, so don't worry."

She followed the boys to their suite and headed straight to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

"Cody, I need a clean towel, please." she said.

Maddie sat down next to Zack on the couch and started pouring alcohol on the cotton. She pushed his hair out of the way and gently dabbed the cotton around his eyes. He winced. "Ow…"

Maddie sighed. "This is ridiculous. We gotta do something about this."

"We?" Zack asked.

"Yes. I am involed in this whether you like it or not."

"Maddie, I don't wanna involve you into this. This is just a small fight."

Maddie stopped and glared at him. "Small fight? Have you seen yourself in the mirror? Your bruises look horrible! Zack, I am not going to let anyone hurt you and Cody like this. I will step in since you don't wanna tell your mom about it."

"But…"

"No buts. Either your mom deals with this or I do. You pick."

He sighed in defeat. "Okay. You win."

"Tell me exactly what happened. I want the whole truth, Zack." She asked as he continued to wince because of his wounds.

He sighed. "Jake Mills thought that I stole his cheerleader girlfriend from him. It started when this girl and I hang out, you know, as friends. And I didn't even know that she has a boyfriend. Until she told me that she broke up with him because of me. She said she was falling for me—OUCH!!! Maddie, be gentle!" he was interrupted when Maddie dabbed with a little pressure around his eye.

"Oh, sorry. Continue." She asked, slightly embarrassed.

Zack continued. "The truth is, I only see her as a friend, but she kept on hoping that we could go out sometime. The rumors started and everyone thought I was a girlfriend stealer. So he…. uh… waited for me in the bathroom after school and beat me up without even hearing my side of the story."

Maddie shook her head, totally enraged. She knew Zack very well. He would never hurt anyone intentionally. How dare that Jake hurt him!

"Oh, he is so gonna regret this…" she mumbled as she finished cleaning up his wound.

"What do you mean?" Zack asked, raising his eyebrow.

"I'm gonna give him a dose of his own medicine."

"Are you gonna beat him up? Maddie, he's big! And I'm not going to let you fight him, are you crazy? If he ever hurt you, I swear…" he trailed off, his fist clenched.

Meanwhile, Cody was looking out the window and gasped in horror. "Oh God..."

"What?" Zack and Maddie asked in unison.

"Jake followed you home!" he replied, still looking out.

Zack groaned and closed his eyes. "Dammit!"

Maddie, on the other hand, was pleased about this. She couldn't wait to see the idiot who caused pain to Zack.

Without a word, Maddie headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Zack asked.

"I'll give him a piece of my mind."

"I'm going with you!" Zack replied.

"Me too!" Cody followed.

They all headed to the lobby and sure enough, Jake was there, looking around.

Maddie leaned sideways over Cody and whispered, "Is that him?"

Cody nodded.

Maddie narrowed his eyes at the enemy and tried to stop herself from attacking him. Moseby wouldn't like that scene in his hotel.

Finally, Jake spotted Zack and grinned. "Hey Martin. How's the remembrance I gave you?" He asked as he walked towards him.

Zack took one step forward, leaving Maddie and Cody behind. "What do you want?" Zack asked calmly.

"I wanna know where Sarah is. Where is she?" he asked as he looked around once again.

"Why are you asking me? How should I know?" he asked in disbelief.

"She is not answering my calls and she's not at home. Are you hiding her?"

"No, I'm not!"

"Hey, you little liar, do you wanna break your jaw next?" he threatened.

Maddie decided to step in. Her chest felt like it was about to explode.

"Leave him alone! He did not steal your girlfriend! He's not interested with her!" she said angrily.

He flicked his eyes at her and chuckled darkly. "Who are you? And why are you so sure?"

"Because…" she gulped and exhaled. This was the only way out, she thought. "Duh, I'm his girlfriend!"

Zack and Cody looked at her in shock, especially Zack, whose jaw dropped.

Jake raised his eyebrow. "You are?"

"He didn't tell you?" She faced Zack and scowled. "I can't believe you never told him you already have a girlfriend!"

Zack couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say.

Maddie took advantage of the fact that Jake was as confused as Zack.

"Let me tell you something. He didn't steal your girlfriend and he will never cheat on me! Maybe you should go ask your stupid girlfriend why she dumped you for a sophomore!"

Jake got furious, his face got all red. His ego was hurt. But she was right. Why would a senior girl dump a senior guy for a sophomore? That was a low blow to the ego. He wasn't angry at Zack anymore, he became angry at his ex girlfriend instead.

"Apologize. Now!" Maddie ordered.

"I'm sorry Martin, I didn't know." he said in humility.

Before Zack could reply, Maddie interrupted. "Hey, listen you… If you ever lay a finger on Zack again, I don't know what I can do to you!" she said, pointing her index finger at him.

Jake smiled apologetically at Zack and left immediately, his face all red. Maddie exhaled heavily and shook her head.

"Thanks Maddie…" Zack said.

She smiled at him. "No problem."

"Well, maybe I should get into more fights just so you can be my girlfriend, even for a moment…" he joked. Cody rolled his eyes and walked away.

"Silly!" she said as she walked back to the candy counter.

Zack followed her and stopped in front of her. "No seriously Maddie, thank you for standing up for me and for… lying for me…"

"Lying?"

"About being my girlfriend."

"Oh, no problem. You tell everyone here I'm your girlfriend anyway." she chuckled.

"H-how did you know that?" he always made sure that Maddie wasn't around when he tells that to people.

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Duh. You've been doing that since you were 12."

"How about making it real? Huh, sweet thang? What do you think?"

Maddie glared at him in disbelief. "You have just been beaten up badly and you still manage to flirt with me. You are unbelievable, Zack."

Zack moved closer to her. "No, you are unbelievable. You intimidated Jake Mills. No one intimidates him!"

"Well, I just did! No one hurts my Zack, or all hell will break loose."

Little did they know, their faces were only an inch apart from each other and everyone in the lobby started to notice it, including Moseby and Arwin.

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned over to Moseby. "You know, I'm starting to think that Zack is telling the truth about him and Maddie." Arwin commented.

"You may be right. You can't fake that connection, don't you agree?"

"I agree." Carey commented, who just entered the lobby at the time and overheard their conversation. She went over to the pair but they didn't seem to notice. They were too busy staring at each other's eyes.

She cleared up his throat and that made them jump and pull away.

"What is going on he-- Zack, what happened to your face?" Carey asked, baffled.

"Ah, this?" Zack paused for a second to come up with an excuse and he continued. "Uh... Maddie beat me up because she got jealous when she saw me with a girl she thought I was flirting with. Will you tell her I love her and I'm never going to replace her?" Zack turned away and headed to the elevator. When he got inside, he winked at Maddie before the elevator closed.

Maddie, on the other hand, dropped her jaw and shook her head in disbelief.

"I have a more realistic explanation than that!" Maddie said to Carey.

"I can't believe you're still denying." Carey replied with a smile. "Your action says something different. But it's okay, Maddie. I trust that you will confide in me in your own time."

"No, I swear, I didn't beat him up!"

"I'm not talking about that part." Carey smiled and headed to the elevator.

Maddie displayed a look of confusion as she watch Carey leave the lobby.

Action? What action was she talking about?

It made her doubt herself. She wasn't falling for Zack, was she?

She took a deep breath and smiled.

She was going to find out for herself.


	2. Parallel Universe

"So Zack… If rate is distance over time, what's the formula for time?" she asked while using the pencil to point out the problem in the book.

Maddie was tutoring Zack that afternoon, as per Carey's request. Zack will be having a major exam in Math and she knew he needed help in that area. Usually, Cody would help him but that particular day, he was having a science quiz bee and Carey went to support his son. Carey decided to leave Zack at home and ask Maddie to tutor him while they were gone.

Maddie patiently waited for his answer and when she looked up, she caught him staring at her, his chin rested on his hand. She chuckled.

"Oh. Here's a clue: the answer is not in my face."

"I know. I just want to stare at you." he said, smiling beautifully at her.

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Zack, do you understand this formula I'm teaching you? You can say 'no', I won't get mad. I will be happy to repeat it for you."

Ignoring her remark, Zack continued. "Maddie, just imagine, if we get married, our kids will probably be home-schooled instead of going to school. You can teach them! You'll be a full-time mom and I'll be the one working!"

Maddie shook her head and closed the book. "Alright, I think we need a break." She stood up to get some juice.

"What, don't you wanna have kids someday?"

"Zack, of course I do. But that's really off topic."

"I think we should discuss this as early as now. A few years from now, we can get married! It's better to be prepared and all..."

"Zack, we're not gonna get married."

"Why not?"

"Because you're too young for me."

"So? As far as I know, love knows no age."

"Yeah, that's true but I don't wanna date a younger man..."

"You gotta give me a better excuse than that. You think that will discourage me? If you hate my personality, then maybe I don't have a chance. But using age difference as an excuse? Try again."

"No means no, Zack."

"For God's sakes Maddie, could you please try?"

His pleading eyes caught hers. She felt cornered.

"Zack, you're an amazing boy. There's absolutely no doubt that I'll fall head over heels in love with you if you were only my age. You're sweet, you make me laugh, you care about me, not to mention you're cute... It's just that, we can't be together. Unless we're in some parallel universe..."

Zack scoffed. "Parallel universe. It doesn't exist."

Zack quickly turned around and read his homework again. Maddie looked at him and she realized something.

"Zack, you are my parallel universe."

"Huh?"

Maddie shook her head and smiled. She'll explain to him at the right time.


	3. We'll Be Together

**AN: It's been awhile since I wrote a story. Life got in the way and all that. I... um... hope you like this. I wrote this a year ago, when Ashley's album came out. I thought I'd write a story about it coz I thought "We'll Be Together" fitted the Zack-Maddie relationship. lol Thanks for reading.**

PS. I still think Zack and Maddie are cute. Just thought I'd mention that. Hehe.

* * *

Zack and Cody were finally in their last year in High School. Surprisingly, Zack managed to make it to 12th grade without repeating a level, and Cody was a valedictorian candidate. They would still annoy Moseby once in a while, when they get the chance. They could never break that habit.

One fine Sunday morning, Carey was preparing breakfast for her teenage twins.

Zack came out of the room, took a shower and went straight to the kitchen. He sat next to Cody who always woke up earlier than him.

"Morning Zack." Carey greeted.

"Morning mom." He said, pulling a chair next to his brother.

"How was your date last night?" She asked, referring to his date with Maddie that lasted till midnight.

"It was awesome!" He said while munching his pancakes. "We went to the movies, we went clubbing, we sang videoke, and when we got tired, we went back to her apartment and…" he paused and gave them a naughty grin, "well... you know..."

Looking disgusted, Cody interrupted. "Zack, I really don't want to hear what happened with you and Maddie after that!"

"What were you thinking?" Zack asked defensively. "We know better than that! Maddie and I decided to wait till our wedding day!"

"Aww… That's my boy!" Carey said, ruffling his hair. "Are you really willing to wait?"

Zack looked down and shrugged. "Sure."

Zack and Maddie had been dating for a while. He never thought it would happen but it did. After all those humiliations and countless rejections, he finally managed to win her heart. Zack couldn't be any happier now that he was with the girl of his dreams.

"Looks like you had a lot of fun last night. Is there a special occasion?" Carey asked

"Not that I know of. It was actually the first time she asked me out. Usually I'm the one who does that, with her busy schedule and all. I dunno, she probably realized how lucky she is to have a gorgeous and wicked handsome boyfriend like me." he said in confidence.

"Zack, it's too early in the morning, don't make me yell at you." Cody said.

"She probably wants to spend more time with you before she leaves Boston." Carey retorted.

Zack immediately panicked. Maddie never mentioned anything about her leaving. "Leave? Where is she going?"

Carey did a mental "uh-oh." She wasn't supposed to say that. She thought it best that the news will come from Maddie herself.

"You better ask her, honey."

Zack didn't waste time. He immediately stood up and went down the lobby to confront his girlfriend about it. He had no idea she was planning to leave.

"Hey, finish your food!" Carey ordered but he quickly disappeared.

Zack walked to the counter and saw Maddie talking to a girl who looked about her age.

"Maddie, what is this I hear about you leaving Boston?" he asked, completely ignoring the customer.

Maddie looked at him oddly.

"Uh Zack, this is my schoolmate Casey. Casey, my boyfriend, Zack."

"Hello!" Casey greeted enthusiastically.

"Hi." Zack greeted, and turned his attention back to Maddie.

"Oh, I gotta run some errands! You two have a great day!" with that, Casey turned on her heel and walked towards the exit.

Zack continued to stare at Maddie, waiting for her response. Before Casey stepped out, she waved at Maddie, pointed at Zack and mouthed, "Oh my God! He's hot!!" Maddie chuckled and mouthed "I know!" She's used to girls drooling over her boyfriend. She then shifted her gaze to Zack. "What's up?"

"I heard you're leaving Boston." he asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"Where did you get that?"

"From my mom. She told me this morning but I don't believe it. I mean, why would you leave?" he scoffed.

Maddie looked down.

"Well…"

Zack shook her head. "Maddie, you're not telling me..."

"Your mom's right." she finally said.

He was dumbfounded, but he didn't want to show it. "Oh." He paused. "So it's true. Where are you going, Madeline?"

Madeline. He never called her Madeline. She knew from the way he spoke that he was mad.

She bowed down. She couldn't look at him. "I'm moving to California."

Devastated, Zack shook his head. "CALIFORNIA?!" His voice went a little higher, which made the guests look at them.

Esteban suddenly passed by. "Hey Maddie, I can't believe you're leaving us!"

Zack gave her a weary look. "Am I the last person in the world to know about this?"

Guilt was written all over her face. "Let me explain, Zack."

"Then, explain."

Moseby walked over to them. "Zack, didn't I tell you not to bother Maddie while she's working? You can have her all to yourself after her shift."

"Can she take her break now? We need to talk. It's important."

"No. She's not supposed to take her break till--"

"I'm afraid that's the wrong answer, Moseby." With that, he grabbed Maddie by the hand and off they went to the elevator. Moseby just shook his head.

**XxX**

He led her to the hotel basement where no one could hear them.

"I don't understand. I'm your boyfriend. I'm supposed to know this beforehand. Why did you keep it from me?" Although he looked calm, Zack was getting really upset inside.

"I-I was about to tell you. Really, I just… didn't know how. Look, there is a good reason why I'm doing this if you'll just let me explain..."

"I don't care what the reason is! You can't leave us!" he paused and continued with more intensity. "You can't leave me!"

Maddie maintained her cool. "Zack… they're offering me the job of my dreams and..."

"Why? Is Moseby not paying you enough? I can talk to him!"

"No, it's not about the money!"

"Then what? Did I do something wrong? Is it my stubbornness? Am I bugging you too much?" He was getting paranoid. He couldn't think of any reason why Maddie would leave for California.

Maddie sighed. "Listen to me, Zack. I'm making my dreams come true. I am moving to L.A for a singing career. I submitted a demo years ago even before I met you and finally an agent called me. They liked it and they told me that I have the potential to be a recording artist! How can I let this opportunity pass?"

He couldn't speak for a moment. "But what about your dream of going to law school?"

"I'm still going to law school but it's not my priority right now." She replied. Zack didn't look happy. He sat in one corner and stared at the floor. Maddie felt extremely guilty to see Zack like that.

"So when are you leaving?" he asked calmly.

"On the 25th."

He looked up to her. "That's next Thursday. You're leaving on our first month anniversary?"

"I know but... I didn't choose to leave on that date. That's when they wanted me to go."

"We just got together and you're leaving me." He let out a big sigh. "Well then. You made this decision without consulting me so I guess... I can't change your mind."

Maddie couldn't stand the guilt. "Zack, please don't say that, you're making it harder for me."

Zack continued, ignoring her comment. "...and you're going to meet better guys out there. And you'll go out with them, forgetting about me."

Maddie quickly replied. "That is NOT gonna happen. I swear to God, it's not gonna happen!" She walked over to him and sat next to him. "I know I don't say this often but... I love you more than anything in this world, Zack." She said in all sincerity. At that point, there is nothing she wouldn't say or do to make him feel better.

He didn't speak.

"Come on, don't be mad at me. I'm really sorry…"

He held her hand. "I'm not mad at you, you know I can never do that." he said, finally looking into her eyes.

"Then why did you suddenly become so quiet?"

"I don't know... I'm thinking of things…"

"What things?"

"Things that could happen when you leave. I'll be miserable…"

"I'll call you everyday!"

"And?"

"I'll visit you every weekend!"

A smile is slowly forming in his lips.

"And?"

"I'll email you twice a day!"

"And?"

She glared at him for a second before speaking. "I can't think of anything else!"

"You forgot one last thing."

"What?"

"Don't forget to send me a front row ticket on your first concert."

With that, she hugged him. "Aww... Zack... Does that mean you're allowing me to leave?"

"Well, if this is your dream, I'd say go for it. Who am I to stop you? Of course I'm not happy about the fact that you're leaving, but you're happy and your happiness is important to me."

She pulled away and stared at him. "You're the best."

"Oh trust me, you haven't seen it all."

They both laughed.

**XxX**

**Few weeks later.**

Maddie left the Tipton brokenhearted. They would miss her really bad.

Zack gave her a ride to the airport. (His dad gave him and Cody a car for their 16th birthday)

He went with her inside until she got checked in. The stewardess was already calling the passenger for her flight.

"So... um... this is it." She reluctantly said.

"Are you not changing your mind?"

"Zack--"

"I'm just kidding." He replied. "They better take care of you or all hell will break loose."

"No worries, they're nice people." She replied. "Zack, thank you for being so understanding."

"I can't stop you from pursuing your dream. And I trust you."

"Study hard, okay? Concentrate on school."

"Will do." He replied.

She squeezed his hand and walked away.

"Maddie!"

She turned around.

"Are you gonna make me proud?"

She smiled and nodded.

**XxX**

A few months later, Maddie performed her very first mini concert. It was successful. Tons of people came to see her. When she entered her dressing room backstage after the show, she immediately phoned Zack. She couldn't wait to share her excitement.

"Hey Zack!"

"Hi babe, what's going on? How was the show?"

"It was great! The tickets were sold out! I got great response from people! I'm so, so happy, I wish you were here to see this!" she said enthusiastically.

"I know… It stinks that my final exam is today."

The assistant interrupted her. "Maddie, your fans are outside asking for autographs, but I know you're tired so I'll just tell them to come back later."

"No, no, I'm not tired. I'll be right there in a minute!" she replied. "Hey Zack, I'll call you later, fans are waiting for my autograph. Can you believe that?"

"Cool! So I guess I'll talk to you later! Love you!"

"Bye! Love you!" she flipped the phone and walked outside the door. "Hello! Thanks for coming here!" she greeted cheerfully. She felt overwhelmed seeing her fans.

Kids and teenagers were waiting for her and they all screamed when she went out. They mobbed her, each of them handing her a piece of paper. Her assistant asked them to fall in line and they did. She gladly signed them and took pictures with them. Suddenly, spoke behind her.

"Hey popstar, can I have your autograph?"

When she looked up, she almost fainted when she saw who it was.

"Zack!" she gasped. She felt her heart flipped upon seeing the love of her life. "What are you doing here?!" she asked almost in tears.

"I'm here because I'm your biggest fan!" he blurted. "Oh my God, I love your cd! I love singing along with it! Watch this!"

And he motioned to sing and dance like her.

_"Headstrong... Meltdown..."_

Maddie chuckled heartily.

An angry five year old girl, walked up to him, with hands on her waist. "Hey! Get in line!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he quickly stepped away, which made Maddie laugh even more.

**XxX**

When she finished signing for autographs, she let Zack in her dressing room.

"So... did I suprise you?" he said as he lounged on the couch.

She still couldn't believe that she was just talking to him on the phone, thinking that he was at school and now he was standing in front of her.

Maddie rolled her eyes as she couldn't help a pleased smile cracking her lips. "That was a dirty trick, Zack. I don't know whether to walk out of this dressing room or kiss you endlessly until you couldn't remember even your own name." she joked.

"That second option does that to me every time." They both laughed

"So what are you doing here? I thought you have an exam today?" she looked at him suspiciously. "Don't tell me you missed it!"

"Of course not! I talked to the teacher and I asked if I could take the exam one day ahead so I can come here. Luckily he let me. How can I miss my girlfriend's first concert?"

"Aww… you're so sweet!" she said and held his face on her hands. "Do you know that I'm going to have a show at the Tipton?"

"Really? Then we can go back together!"

"As if I'm going to let you travel without me."

Zack chuckled and wrapped her in his arms, tucking her underneath him as his lips descended on hers.

As her hands tangled themselves into his hair, it was Madeline Fitzpatrick who couldn't remember her own name.

**XxX**

Maddie arrived at the Tipton and she received a very warm welcome from the locals. It was her visit to Boston since she got famous. She held her show at the Tipton--her second home. The locals knew she used to be a candy girl in the hotel.

After singing a couple of her hit songs, she sat down on the chair in the middle of the stage.

"This next song is inspired by the love of my life, Zack."

Zack, who was in the audience and obviously surprised, looked up to her. He was sitting next to his mom and his brother. Some kids from his school also attended the show. They all looked in his direction in disbelief. _Zack Martin? The 12th grader popular for being the ultimate prankster in school? The slacker? The stupid kid? The troublemaker? How? Why?_

"Our love story is quite unusual." She narrated. "I first met him when I was 15. He was 13 at the time. He had a huge crush on me..." When she said this, the audience went 'awww.'

"What? I told her it wasn't crush. It was love." Zack complained quietly.

"Shut up. Let her talk." Cody said.

"But he was just a little brother to me, nothing more than that. It went on for years and I guess persistence pays off. Long story short, I finally agreed to go out with him. That was a year ago. It was also a year ago when I left Boston for California. It was the one of the most difficult decisions I had to make. Zack and I were just starting to date at the time and it was so hard for me to leave him. Luckily for me, he was so understanding and let me follow my dream. It was not easy for me to be away from him so I wrote this song while I was touring. While I was away, I realized that love is not measured by distance. Zack and I had learned to overcome that obstacle. This song tells about the story of my life when I miss him the most. It turned out to be a hit so I wanna thank him for being the inspiration behind this song. Thanks Zack."

He smiled at her, full of pride. He never knew Maddie wrote a song for him.

The lights slowly went down. The crowd went silent when the intro started.

_I'm not alone  
Even when we're apart I feel you  
In the air  
(yeah)  
I'm not afraid  
I know what you're thinkin'  
I can hear you everywhere_

_Some people say it'll never happen  
And we're just wasting time  
But good things come when you least expect them  
So I don't really mind_

Cody was nudging Zack. His eyes fixed on her.

_We'll be together come whatever  
Not just staring at the stars  
Just remember  
That no one else could tell us who we are  
We'll be together so don't ever  
Stop listening to your heart  
Cuz I can't turn mine up  
oohhh...  
_

_I'm not alone  
Even when we're apart I feel you..._

The crowd applauded heartily.

Meanwhile, Zack was at loss for words. No one has ever sung for him, let alone written a song for him. His jaw dropped, literally. He never liked ballad, but when he heard the song, it seemed like the most beautiful song he has ever heard.

Suddenly, he felt his eyes were warming up.

Maddie was about to leave the stage when Zack came up to her and gave her a very tight hug for everyone to see.

Caught off guard, she hugged him back and smiled. "H-hey Zack. Um... you're not allowed here."

"I know." He replied, still not letting go of her.

She smiled apologetically at the audience and spoke again. "Um... We gotta leave the stage before we both get in trouble." Maddie whispered when she saw one of the crews signaling her to leave the stage for an outift change. "I'll see you after the show, mkay?"

Zack pulled back and raised his eyebrow. "Promise?"

Rolling her eyes, she smiled. "Promise." As if she could wait to be alone with him.

With that, he walked off the stage and came back to his seat. Consequently, the audiences in his proximity treated him like a hero.

He stayed to watch the last part of her show.

As promised, she went to him see him afterwards. Zack had to wait for her in her suite (of course she gave him a key) while she signed autographs and take pictures with her fans after the show.

Maddie opened the suite and found Zack watching TV. "Hey!"

"Hey gorgeous. How's it going?" Zack said, full of enthusiasm.

Tossing her hand bag, she replied. "A little tired, but I don't care. The show was a success." She said, plopping next to her boyfriend on the couch.

Zack turned his body towards her and grew serious. "Maddie… That was beautiful. That was beyond beautiful... I wish I have the talent to write a song for you..."

Maddie turned to him and smiled. "You don't have to. I have a little favor though."

"Anything."

She turned back her attention on the TV and spoke, "just love me with all your heart."

He scoffed. "Maddie, you're my first crush, my first love, even my first dance, and you're asking me to love you with all my heart?"

"Uh... yeah? What's wrong with that?" she stupidly asked.

"Maddie, ever since I first laid my eyes on you, I loved you with all of me and nothing less."

Maddie bit her lip and giggled. "You are so corny, Zack."

Zack rolled his eyes and grabbed the remote to switch the channel. "Now you're laughing at me. If corny means I'm the greatest boyfriend in the world, then heck yes, I am corny!"

Maddie silently agreed. He was great. He was perfect for her.

She didn't worry about not seeing him very often due to her busy schedule. She knew that his love for her will always be there, drifting magically in the air.


	4. When I'm Thinking About You

**A/N: I really don't know the details about the upcoming spin off of TSL, all I know is that it's going to be on a ship. lol :) So, I'm sorry if some details are inaccurate, I just kind of made up the reason why they left the Tipton hotel for the Tipton ship. Anyway... I hope you like it. :)  
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**"When I'm Thinking About You**"

_**-Maddie's POV**-_

I knew this was coming. I knew that I won't be staying at the Tipton forever. I knew that sometime in the future, we are all going to part ways.

Yet, I never prepared myself for this. Leaving the Tipton was harder than I thought.

It's been weeks since I officially left the Tipton hotel. I could still remember how Moseby broke the news to me.

I just came back from my trip that day, and I was getting ready for work when Moseby approached me.

"_Maddie, I need to talk to you. Follow me, please."_

_His face was serious, and somehow, it made me nervous. I followed him quietly to his office. As soon as I entered, he shut the door._

_He motioned for me to sit down before he proceeded to sit at his desk._

"_What's the matter?" I asked reluctantly._

_His face remained serious. "Mr. Tipton is changing the hotel's management. He assigned me to manage the SS Tipton ship. He also offered Carey a job there that's going to pay her triple than she currently makes so, of course she gladly took it."_

_I did not say anything. I was trying to absorb everything he said._

_He continued. "Maddie, you have been a good employee, but I am afraid I have to let you go. The new management wants to hire a new set of employees and I don't really have a position for you in the ship, unless you want to stay and work full time. Of course I know it's not possible, so... I am very sorry."_

Of course, I was dumbfounded. This job was so dear to me. Even though I've been traveling a lot in the past few months, I always wanted to come back and work at the Tipton. I couldn't let this job go no matter what. And now, it was letting go of me.

After a few moments of silence, I finally spoke._ "I understand."_

I couldn't concentrate at work that day. I just couldn't believe it was really happening.

Maybe it wasn't really much about the job itself; it was about the fact that I wouldn't see my friends anymore; the people I worked with for years who I considered my family.

I was so used to Carey's motherly advice, Esteban's jokes and his funny accent, London's vanity and brainlessness, Moseby's strictness, Cody's sweetness and Zack's…

Well, everything about him, really.

Say whatever you want about that boy, but he sure knew how to melt my heart. From my prom night to my 16th birthday, he went to great lengths just to save the day (and my face). Despite of my countless rejections, he didn't give up. I wasn't really rejecting him; I was rejecting his age.

Wow. Now that I thought about it, he must have really liked me a lot. Of course, I didn't realize it at the time. I thought it was just a little boy crush that would fade away soon. I mean, what could you really expect from 12 year olds? Don't they all develop crushes on someone older than them and then grow out of it eventually?

Apparently, Zack didn't seem to let go of his "childish crush." How come all these years that I've known him, he never failed to let me know that I am his "sweet thang?" How come whenever I come back to Tipton from a trip, he would always be the first one to hug me, and the last one to let me go?

I just caught myself smiling at that thought. I actually missed that. Now, whenever I came back from a trip, no one hugged me like that. All I got from my boyfriend was an upward nod or if I was lucky, a tap or two in the back. Nothing like the way Zack welcomed me. No one did it the way he does. His hug made me feel that I was truly missed and that I was really… special.

The sad thing was, I didn't get to say goodbye to him. I was in Ohio when they left the Tipton. On the second thought, I was glad I wasn't there when they were leaving. I couldn't probably stop myself from bawling. I was a big crybaby. I hated goodbyes.

The last time I heard, they were doing well at the ship. At least that was what Carey's postcard said, which was signed by her, Cody and Zack.

Out of a hundred postcards that they sent me, Zack never wrote anything specifically for me. Not that I was actually expecting him to write, "I love you, Maddie" or "I miss you, sweet thang." I mean, just a simple, "Hey, Maddie, what's up?" or "Zack said hi!" That would mean so much.

What, suddenly I was demanding for the attention from him that I didn't want before?

I think this was it. I think this was the point where the 16 year old teenager had gotten over his childish crush when he was 12.

And that thought was surprisingly sad. Even depressing. But hey, that was the cycle of life. People grow up and mature. I'd say good for him for getting over me.

Bad for me for missing him this much. So much that I was going to write him an email to let him know. I was going to do it! I didn't see why I shouldn't! He was my friend and friends wrote letters to each other, right? Friends say "I miss you," don't they?

I didn't care if he was over me. Just because he doesn't like me like THAT, doesn't mean we couldn't be friends anymore. Bu the question was, was he interested to be my friend or did he completely scrape me off of his life and move on? As in totally forgot me as if I did not exist?

That was bollocks. He wouldn't do that. Not to me.

ARGH! I missed that stupid boy and it was bothering me!

Maybe it was my turn to let him know how much his friendship meant to me and how much I appreciated everything he did for me. That would be a nice gesture, wouldn't it?

I laid on the bed on my stomach, and started typing on my laptop.

"_Zack,_

_Hey... listen, I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I know it's weird and you're not gonna believe it in a million years but, I really have. What's goin' on? Why are you not writing me or something? It's not like you don't wanna know what's up with me!_

_Write back. _

_It's me,  
Maddie._

_PS. How's everyone doing? Tell them I said hi. Oh, and no flirting with the women crews or I'll personally punch you in the face. Is that clear?"_

I smiled at the silliness of my letter. It was as if my hand had a brain of its own. It wasn't what I intended to write but somehow, it ended up like that. Short—and brutally honest.

I took a deep breath before clicking the "SEND" button. _Message Sent._

Oh my God, what did I just do?! Was that too much?

Wait, I was just being honest! It was just my way of saying, _"congratulations! all those years of hardwork trying to win me over paid off! you got me! you made me think about you all the time! and not only that, you made me miss you so bad, it's not even funny! great job!"_

I hoped whatever happens, we could still be friends. I didn't wanna let him go completely just because we wouldn't see each other for a long time.

I'd be really pissed if he wouldn't reply.


End file.
